Professional bodybuilder and fitness coach Greg Doucette made statements about PEDs in Hollywood transformations during his appearance on The Iced Coffee Hour podcast. When shown images of various celebrity physiques, Doucette offered specific assessments about what can be achieved naturally versus with pharmaceutical assistance.
Regarding Michael B. Jordan’s transformation for Creed, Doucette stated definitively that Jordan used PEDs. When asked about the percentage of people who could achieve Jordan’s physique naturally, he responded: “One in a thousand really guys could probably achieve this look natural.”
He explained that while looking at a single physique doesn’t confirm PED use, the rate of muscle gain tells the story.
“It’s how fast somebody puts muscle on in a short period of time,” Doucette said. “When you say, ‘Oh, I put on 20 pounds (9 kg) of muscle in 4 to 6 months.’ It’s like, what do you mean? Especially if you haven’t like if you average 5 pounds (2.3 kg) of muscle a year and suddenly you put on 20, well that year you did something. But just having a physique like that doesn’t mean you don’t.”
Doucette acknowledged that Jordan’s specific physique could theoretically be achieved naturally by someone with exceptional genetics, but emphasized the timeframe makes the difference.
“I think I had probably a better build than this when I was natural, but I also had great genetics and I trained my whole life for it,” he noted.
When discussing David Laid’s physique, Doucette was equally direct. Shown an image, he assessed it as requiring PED enhancement.
“There’s 0% chance you can look like this guy,” he told the hosts when asked if they could achieve similar results naturally. He explained that even with optimal training six days per week, natural lifters hit limitations. “The fact you’re going to the gym 6 days a week, even if you’re training half hard, you’re getting 80 to 90% of the benefit that you could get already.”
Doucette emphasized that Hollywood actors face unique pressures and incentives to use these PEDs. “Most people on roids is to look better. It’s certainly for the aesthetics and not for performance,” he explained. “It’s almost always guys who want to look better with their shirts off in the summer.”
The coach noted that these celebrity transformations create unrealistic expectations for natural lifters. He stressed that transparency about PED use would help prevent people from pursuing impossible natural goals.
